Abstract

Manjusha M. P.*, Adithya P. S., Glisten P. O., Nancy Sara Jacob, Nandhana A. P. Sreelakshmi V. S., Bindu R., Shyni Bernard

ABSTRACT

Microplastics are pieces of plastic, any kind, smaller than five millimetres. These are synthetic, high molecular weight chemicals with a slow rate of biodegradation and as a result the majority of them stay in the environment and negatively impact human health. The primary method of exposure can be breathing in indoor air and drinking water from plastic bottles. Human consumption of microplastic is estimated to be between 0.1 and 5g per week worldwide. The study looks into the possibility of microplastics in three samples of commercially available drinking bottled water. Chemical evaluations of the sample pH, dissolved solid content, calcium content, and chloride level were performed in addition to physical evaluations like colour, odour, taste, and turbidity. Using a stereomicroscope, the microplastics were visually identified and characterised. Using confocal Raman spectroscopy with AFM, microplastics were analysed spectroscopically. The analysis verifies that all of the samples include microplastics, and fall into the 5mm size range. All the standardisations were done according to BIS guidelines. According to our findings, there is a clear need for focused study to learn more about the uptake, destiny, and health impacts of microplastics in appropriate exposure circumstances.